HR Industry News

One third of employers want to ban cigarette breaks

— 26 June 2007 —

New research shows that a third of employers are planning to ban cigarette breaks when the smoking ban comes into force in England on 1 July.

The law bans smoking in enclosed public places, with £50 on-the-spot fines or court summonses for those caught smoking. Premises that allow smoking will receive fines of up to £2,500.

The survey of 257 companies showed that 70% of employers are also looking to stop their employees from smoking in front of company premises.

Employees will have a hard time contesting a ban on their cigarette breaks because they are not legally entitled to them.

Jeremy Campbell,
Ceridian Lifeworks

However, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber warned that smokers may not give up so easily: “If employers decide to crack down on cigarette breaks, the danger is that some hardened smokers may try to find ways of flouting the ban. If going outside to smoke isn’t an option, they may be tempted to smoke in secret on company premises.”

A separate survey carried out by employment law consultancy Peninsula showed that 79% of smokers who work are attempting to give up.

“Employers should recognise how hard it is to quit smoking and offer support via their local NHS Trust or an employee assistance programme. They should also explore the impact that this has on their insurance costs, as some group risk and general insurers have historically provided discounts for non-smoking workplaces.” comments Paul Avis of Ceridian. “I just hope that this starts an increased focus on employee health and wellbeing as there is a massive variance between employers in this important aspect of management.”

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